Handling The Media

As spring gives way to summer, the media inevitably begin waging their annual war against sunlight—and indoor tanning. Armed with the latest anti-tanning statements from dermatologists and health groups, the media take to the community for their own, local version of the story—and many times they call upon tanning salons.

What a salon employee tells the media is vitally important because the reporter and the entire news-watching community is listening. Through preparedness and professionalism, the tanning industry can change how it deals with the media and begin to balance out the negativity about tanning that too often makes its way into the news.

Reporters may identify themselves, or they may pose as nothing more than curious potential customers. They’ll call or stop by a salon and ask something like “Do tanning beds cause cancer?” or “Is tanning safe?” They may or may not have hidden cameras.

“We’ve seen it happen over and over again,” says John Overstreet, executive director of the Indoor Tanning Association (ITA). “They’re going into these salons with hidden cameras asking leading questions, trying to get people to say things that can cause us problems, or leading them into a trap.”

Unaware salon employees could say something that’s incorrect, sometimes without knowing it but usually tarnishing the industry. That is why every salon needs a crash course in media relations.

Consumer Reports published an article recently that cast the tanning industry in a negative light. The noticeably slanted February 2005 piece relied heavily on the opinions of dermatologists and other anti-tanning researchers. It gave minimal voice to the ITA and merely quoted information found on the National Tanning Training Institute (NTTI) Web site.

Much of the magazine’s fuel for the assault on indoor tanning came from a survey of 296 salons in 12 cities. What is not known is whether the CR reporters identified themselves, but it’s likely they posed as beginning tanners.

“Many facilities made questionable claims about indoor tanning: that it’s safer than sunlight, for example,” the article states. “About 6 percent said they permit the dangerous practice of tanning without protective eyewear.”

Consumer Reports conducted a 6-question survey, and “employees gave an average of three to four answers that we consider false, questionable, or inadequate.” “People have got to be aware that there are a lot of people out there who would like to catch us doing things that they think are improper—and talk about it,” Overstreet says.

Such was the case in May 2004, when the media caused a firestorm over sunless tanning. It was another unfortunate example of how uninformed salon employees can affect the salon and the industry as a whole.

Believing they were potential customers, salon employees casually—and incorrectly —explained the ups and downs of sunless tanning.

KNXV-TV undercover reporters visited 10 Phoenix-area tanning salons to assess the “darker side of mist-on tanning.” At least five other E.W. Scripps Co.-owned ABC stations aired their own versions.

One Cleveland-area salon employee recommended a WEWS undercover reporter not use eyewear and nosewear during the spray-tanning process because they would leave lines. One employee told a KNXV undercover reporter about the DHA solution: “It will not harm you. I’ve done it before. I’ve inhaled it. I’ve tasted it.” Another said, “You can breathe it in. You can get it in your eye. You can get it on your lips.”

These employee statements are not true—or at least not prudent. While the FDA has no regulations concerning DHA, it has recommended that clients avoid direct application of the product into the eye area, and use a lip balm or other barrier product on the lips and in the nostrils. Salon staff should use this information as a basis for client education.

Public appeal of exposés combined with public concern for health and well-being does not bode well for the tanning industry. By running a news article or segment that uncovers the “dangers of tanning,” a news outlet can satisfy both cravings.

To that end, reporters sometimes are driven to get the scoop. They may be influenced by other media into thinking that tanning is bad. They might ask questions that get them the answers they need to tell the story they want. These leading questions were evident in the Consumer Reports article.

However, it’s also a tenet of good journalism to be fair and unbiased. Despite what people may think, most reporters do not have hidden agendas or ulterior motives.

Reporters’ jobs are to write articles or record sound bites, often under tight deadlines. They’ll get what they need from one salon owner or another, they’ll finish their story, and they’ll move on to the next.

They’ll check their facts, and try their best to be correct. But unfortunately they can’t spend too much time on one story.

There is a good chance that the reporter knows nothing about tanning prior to researching the story. At the very least, he or she knows a little; perhaps the reporter is a tanner. But just because the reporter is a tanner doesn’t mean he or she knows about the inner workings of the tanning industry.

To a reporter, any salon employee can be a representative of the indoor tanning industry—a tanning professional.

Any good reporter will make an attempt to get both sides of the story. For example, they might talk to a dermatologist who tells them about the “dangers” of tanning, but they’ll also want to hear from someone who thinks tanning has benefits. Reporters may call the ITA for comment, or they may start calling local salons.

It is so important for everyone in the salon—from the owners to the bed cleaners— to be as informed as possible. If someone from the salon gives false or misleading information to a reporter, and the reporter doesn’t know any better, that information could appear as truth in the nightly news or the next morning’s newspaper.

The salon employee might be afraid of how he or she might sound in the news, and so rattles off an abrupt “No comment.” Often, the employee comes across like he or she is hiding something. “‘No comment’ is an unprepared reaction,” says Abby Kirkwood, project manager for the Center for Industry Excellence (CIE).

Plus, if all a reporter gets from the tanning community is “No comment,” then he or she will be forced to run the story without hearing from the tanning community. This leaves the dermatologists or others from the anti-tanning crowd free to talk about tanning’s “dangers” without opposition.

Instead of refusing to comment, salon staff should be prepared to be a voice of indoor tanning for their local market.

In an ideal situation, the salon should establish one person to be the salon’s official spokesperson. This person could be the salon owner or manager, or someone else who is knowledgeable about tanning and the salon’s operation, and who is comfortable talking to the press. Anyone at the salon who answers the phone can put the reporter in touch with the spokesperson.

“If they have a point person, that’s a very good idea to direct everybody to that person, whether it be the manager or a media person,” says Mimi Rosenberg, owner of Mimi’s Sun Spa and Mimi’s Sun Spa Consulting in Port Townsend, Wash.

“But it’s also good to have everybody educated so that the person who answers the phone is able to answer questions.” This is especially true for smaller salons that aren’t able to designate a point of contact for the media. “Even if you’ve decided to pinpoint a PR person, you definitely want to have all of your employees know your mission statement or your slogan for your salon—to make sure that’s well-known,” Kirkwood says.

This is easily accomplished by preparing a script that clearly states what the specialty is at the salon, she says.

“If you let your employees speak to any media, you need to make sure they’re trained to do that,” says Danna Scigaj, director of corporate communications for The Nailco Group and CIE. “You need to understand the business and all of the philosophies that go behind it. If you’re concerned about saying things that could be construed negatively, it’s important to speak in definitive terms, and avoid those words like ‘always’ and ‘this must be’ and ‘this is absolutely the way it is,’ because those are the key words that can really set you up for failure if they’re taken out of context.”

Overstreet prefers that salon staff keep their comments to reporters strictly on business issues such as the proper operation of their businesses.

“They have great familiarity and know more about that than anybody,” he says. In order to stick to the facts, everyone at the salon must know the facts.

“They need to be educated on all facets of the tanning process including how it works, anatomy of the skin, physics of UV, determining exposure schedules— including skin typing—photosensitivity, risks associated, eye protection and regulations,” says Amy Thorlin, training director for NTTI. “The last thing we’d want to see is a salon staff member giving misinformation because he or she wasn’t properly informed and trained.”

Rosenberg continually educates the staff at her salon.

“I have a meeting once a month and bring them up to date,” she says. “Obviously, I have them reading LOOKING FIT® and anything that comes along from the ITA.” Also, she distributes written material to her employees and has each check off that he or she has read the information. Occasionally, she has someone call the salon to ask questions “to make sure employees are completely understanding and well-educated on what’s going on, so that it’s not detrimental to the business but beneficial.”

Reporters who call or come into the salon under cover can put a salon in a tight spot. The solution is to give everyone the same factually-correct information about tanning every time. When it comes time to talk to an identifiable member of the media, there are a few tips to keep in mind.

Kirkwood agrees. “If you have a younger person—maybe this is their first job—and you have not trained them properly on how to answer the phone, and they start talking to a media person, you have the possibility of some information coming out that is not accurate, or that’s completely wrong, or definitely damaging,” she says.

There are some reporters to which there is no “off the record,” so anything the salon staff member says potentially could be quoted.

“If you don’t get back to them, they think you’re putting them off because you’ve got something to hide,” Rosenberg adds. “And you don’t have anything to hide. We have great information in our industry, and it needs to be dealt with that way. It’s courteous. It’s a matter of good, professional business.”

Rather than getting into a debate, the salon rep should talk about the familiar territory of his or her tanning business. “Start to lead the journalist into an area where it’s very positive,” Kirkwood says.

When possible, back up statements with research. Even the Consumer Reports article referred to a 2004 study out of Wake Forest University School of Medicine that showed radiation used in indoor tanning may actually raise the mood of frequent tanners and make them feel relaxed.

Also, several recent studies have found that tanning indoors increases a person’s production of vitamin D. Rare in the diet, vitamin D is produced in the body when skin is exposed to ultraviolet light. It is believed that healthy doses of the vitamin help the body ward off a host of maladies in the young and old—namely cancer, diabetes, hypertension and osteoporosis.

It’s also important to think about how the answers will sound in a news story. For example, does the statement ramble, or have too many “uhs” or “ums”?

“We have B roll and a video news release prepared that we send out to the media,” Overstreet says. “I or somebody in my office will talk to them and get them some information that will lead to a balanced report.”

The ITA’s B roll, or secondary video footage, was created about a year ago and distributed to hundreds of media markets. The segment can be used by TV media as transitions in their news pieces. “If salons can get local stations and local news outlets to look at it, I think that would be very helpful,” he says.

The media are going to cover indoor tanning this season, just like every other season. Salons already have reported news hitting their local markets.

Education and preparedness are a tanning salon’s greatest assets when dealing with the media. Whether reporters identify themselves or go under cover posing as customers, a knowledgeable salon owner or employee can answer questions with tact and professionalism.

The information a salon representative gives to a reporter about tanning in general and the salon in particular could mean the difference between the all-too-familiar negative news coverage and a fair or even positive report on tanning.

by Matt Morgan

Not all media attention has to be a bad thing. In fact, if it’s attracted and used correctly, it can serve as a powerful tool to help cultivate new customers.

Charity events such as food drives or toy drives, open houses, and educational seminars all are worthy of news coverage. The salon simply must go out and get it.

“If you’ve got a local celebrity who you know is going to be visiting, or you can get someone to come into your salon and make an appearance, that’s a reason to contact the media,” says Danna Scigaj, director of corporate communications for The Nailco Group. Also, the tanning salon can earn respect in the community as the local skincare expert, especially with today’s increased interest in skin health. “If you think about it, everything now is talking about anti-aging and looking youthful,” she says. “I think this would be a very interesting and positive angle for some of the salons to take.”

Scigaj suggests hosting a skincare seminar. Perhaps the salon can contact its lotion distributor for a manufacturer representative to come in for a presentation.

Even more self-promoting motivators deserve media attention every now and then.

“If you’ve got a new product that’s out, you might be the one that can speak to it on behalf of your area,” she says. “Don’t feel that your manufacturer representative has to be the one who goes to the media with a product.

If you’re selling it and promoting it, you can pick up that phone and make a pitch to your news, to a radio station, to a newspaper.”

What seems like a small side business to tanning— sunless, temporary tattoos or body jewelry, for example— might be of great interest to the general public. Even equipment, the staple of the tanning business, could have its appeal.

“A lot of people, in general, are not educated about the equipment—the difference between high-pressure beds or face tanners or leg tanners,”

Scigaj continues. “I don’t know if a lot of people even know that those specialty pieces of equipment exist. If you let the media know in a press release, that’s more information that gets out there about what’s going on in the industry.”

Understanding the pitch is important to the process of securing news coverage. The key is persistency and developing a positive relationship with local news outlets.

“You can’t have a successful media event unless you persistently keep in touch, follow through, let them know that you’re there, call them the week before, call them the day of— because you can’t always guarantee that they’re going to show up,” she says.

Press releases should be sent to a specific person in the newsroom in plenty of time, then followed up with a call, still giving the person time to plan to attend.

In the case of promotional events, the salon may consider supplementing any media coverage by taking out an ad in a local paper or sending out a direct-mail piece to homes in a certain radius, Scigaj says.

On the day of the event, someone from the salon should have a camera and take lots of pictures. The pictures can be sent to the newspaper for after-the-fact coverage.

Sometimes, despite all of a salon’s best efforts, the reporter still may decline or get pulled away from the story. That’s why it’s important to remember that securing news coverage isn’t a one-shot deal, it’s ongoing.

“You don’t have to call them just because you want to make this pitch, and it’s this one story, and if they don’t pick it up then you’re not going to ever try to reach them again,” Scigaj says.

“It’s just like building your clientele. You have to continually touch them through words, through communications. Send them product samples. They love to get stuff like that because they know you’re thinking of them. And if there is a story that comes up, you’ll be that first resource that will be top of mind.”